Luke Pargeter is the founder and CEO of iAM Compliant, a Chester-based software company that helps schools and multi-academy trusts manage compliance, risk, estates and sustainability from a single platform.
Trained in the electrical trade alongside his father, he went on to run a facilities management business before turning his attention to the education sector. In September 2026 the company announced iAM Medical, a feature for tracking pupil health conditions and medication, as schools and trusts get to grips with the Department for Education’s School Estate Management Standards.
He tells Business Matters why schools should be helped to run their own estates rather than outsource them out of fear.
What do you currently do at iAM Compliant?
As CEO, I set the strategic direction of the company and work closely with our customers to make compliance, estates management and sustainability simpler.
My background combines a foundation in technical engineering with over two decades of high-level facilities and estates management strategy. I use that knowledge to help shape our platform specifically for the education sector, ensuring every workflow and tool solves a genuine problem faced by schools and multi-academy trusts.
My philosophy is to make complex requirements easier to understand. Ultimately, that keeps us focused on giving schools the clarity, confidence and practical tools they need to manage their estates effectively, helping them to move away from reactive firefighting and towards long-term planning and improved operational oversight.
What was the inspiration behind your business?
Prior to iAM Compliant, I founded a facilities management firm, trusted by some of the UK’s largest landowners and managing agents, which expanded its operations as far as Dubai.
After many years in facilities management, I saw that the education sector was being poorly served. Schools often worked only from spreadsheets, or would outsource basic statutory compliance services that they could perfectly legally perform themselves.
I founded iAM Compliant in 2014 to change that. My vision was to take the insight and strategic oversight normally provided by an experienced facilities management consultant and build it into an affordable, accessible platform. We want to help schools take control of compliance, risk, estates and sustainability without unnecessary complexity or cost.
Who do you admire?
My father has been the biggest influence on me. I began working alongside him during weekends and school holidays in the 1980s, learning the electrical trade from the ground up. That built the foundation of my understanding of how estates really function.
He also taught me the value of practical knowledge, hard work and doing a job properly. No matter what curveballs life threw at him, he always just got up for work the next day and carried on. These are principles that have stayed with me throughout my career.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
I would probably have focused on the education sector sooner. It took time to recognise just how much schools needed technology created specifically for them, rather than systems adapted from the corporate world.
That said, the years I spent working on the tools as an engineer and then running a facilities management business gave me the knowledge needed to build something genuinely useful at a time when it is needed most. Every stage contributed to where iAM Compliant is today, so I see any challenges as valuable parts of the learning journey rather than things to regret.
What defines your way of doing business?
Empowerment defines how I do business. I hate the “blame culture” and fear-based outsourcing; instead, I want to promote a culture of competency rather than dependency.
Our job is to give people the right tools, clear guidance and a clear understanding of what good looks like, so they can make informed decisions and take control of managing their own estates effectively.
We work alongside schools and listen carefully to the people using our platform. Everything we develop must be easy to understand, cost-effective and capable of solving a real operational problem. If it does not make life easier, it should not be there.
I am also a strong advocate for the role school estates play in the UK’s Net Zero journey. With 60 per cent of school buildings built before 1976, they were never designed to meet today’s standards, and yet they are responsible for a significant share of the public sector’s carbon footprint.
The school estate is not just bricks and mortar; it is a vital tool for pupil attainment. By making the estate a priority, we are not just saving money, we are creating a route to smarter school budgets and better outcomes for the next generation.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Learn your industry from the ground up and stay close to the people experiencing the problems you want to solve. Practical experience gives you an understanding that cannot be gained from reports alone. The journey is far more important and enlightening than the destination.
Do not overcomplicate your solution. Listen to your customers, concentrate on providing genuine value and build something that helps people become more capable, not more dependent on you. Above all, trust your experience, remain willing to learn and never lose sight of why you started.
